- present participle of christen.
christening
Americannoun
-
christenings
plural
-
the ceremony of baptism, especially as accompanied by the giving of a name to a child.
-
a public ceremony in which a new ship is formally named and launched.
-
an act or instance of naming or dedicating something new.
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of christening
Middle English word dating back to 1250–1300; see origin at christen, -ing 1
Vocabulary lists containing christening
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
They enact for their confused rescuer the story of the forgotten fairy at the christening, the curse and the spindle—and then go back to sleep.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 24, 2026
Dr Gillespie said issues with availability can mean they are often called into highly emotional situations at short notice, sometimes moving between a christening and a life-or-death situation in hospital.
From BBC ● Dec. 25, 2025
Then came her indie darling christening, courtesy of Emma Seligman’s “Shiva Baby” in 2020, when she moved to Los Angeles, followed by breakout roles in 2022’s “Bodies Bodies Bodies” and 2023’s “Bottoms.”
From Salon ● Nov. 2, 2025
Bitcoin had risen nine out of the previous 11 Octobers before this year, according to Dow Jones Market Data, leading to some bulls christening the month “Uptober.”
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2025
“She will wear that white dress for her christening, Sister,” Arize said.
From "Half of a Yellow Sun" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
In January 2020, just before Poland went into lockdown, my three Anglo-Polish boys had their christenings in Warsaw.
From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2023
Not all these christenings are designed to be complimentary.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 12, 2023
Sunday’s private ceremony, which took place at the Royal Lodge in Windsor Great Park, was to celebrate two family christenings, according to the PA report.
From Reuters ● Nov. 21, 2021
That weekend in October, the Roman Catholic diocese of Catania enacted a three-year ban on the ancient tradition of naming godparents at baptisms and christenings.
From New York Times ● Oct. 16, 2021
And it struck Obinze that, a few years ago, they were attending weddings, now it was christenings and soon it would be funerals.
From "Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
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